I'm finally getting around to posting my July 4th cook. I've been wanting to try my hand at a variation of smoked chili. Since it was Independence Day, and July is National Hot Dog Month, what could be better than some spruced up chili dogs? I started with 1lb each of 42 day dry aged chuck and short rib meat:

I started the spice & herb blend to season the meat by dicing, blending, and draining a large sweet onion:

A blend of herbs was ground up with salt, pepper, and garlic, and added to the onion mixture:

The spice & herb blend was added to the ground dry aged meat and some ground lamb:

Two large onions were sauteed, the meat was browned, and the remaining ingredients for the chili were added before being placed on the smoker with hickory and oak:

Two tbsp of lamb demi glace and 1 cup of beef broth was added prior to placing the pan on the smoker:

The dogs of choice were Snake River Farms Kobe beef franks, which were also tossed onto the smoker:

I chose to use some homemade dry-cured, garlic & pepper beef bacon and herbs de provence lamb bacon I had whipped up over the previous weekend. I should have used my slicer on the lamb bacon for better presentation:

Beef bacon:

Lamb bacon:

The chili got a stir every 30 minutes:

Battered onion rings seemed like a good side. A few slices from a large sweet onion which had been soaked in milk for a bit, were coated in hickory smoked flour, seasoned with garlic powder and pepper:

Whipped up the batter for the onion rings:

Into some hot peanut oil:

After several hours, the chili and dogs were pulled off the smoker:

I was going to use these two Greek cheeses to top off the dogs:

However, the Kasseri was much too gamey, and the Halloumi, while tasty, was way too salty. When mixed together, the taste resembled cheddar cheese which had been stored in a very old, musty sock. So good ol' Boar's Head yellow American cheese it is.

The onion rings had that bite-through texture to them--always a good thing:

The smoked bacon chili cheese dog had layers of complex flavors and textures. The smokiness...the greek-style flavors from the chili...the well seasoned kobe beef dog with the classic beef frank texture...the tanginess from the mustard, and the smooth, tangy, creaminess from the cheese. Simply delicious.

For dessert, I wanted to put a touch of smoke and a Greek spin on an old-time American classic: key lime pie. I got together a few ingredients:

Added some juice from a few smoked limes:

Along with some lime zest and five egg yolks:

Instead of the usual graham cracker crust, I used a shortbread cookie crust, which was coated with eggwash and par-baked for 8 minutes:

Excellent post. I've been thinking of doing onion rings and I think this post may have got me off the dime. Everything looked great and this is another one of your posts where I might have wanted to start with dessert first.

You're silly. I try not to overindulge like this too often. I tend to eat fairly quick and healthy meals during the week.

Griffin wrote:

I am a bit disappointed in you, though.....you didn't make your own hot dogs?

I don't eat them often enough for that to be worth it. Besides, with Nathans and SRF's dogs available, why bother?

ScreamingChicken wrote:

Not to get too much off-topic, but how's the lamb bacon when it's just cooked in a frying pan?

Lamb (and beef) bacon cooks up just like pork bacon, with the exception that the homemade dry-cured stuff doesn't leak out a milky substance while cooking. I prefer to cook bacon in the oven, as it tends to cook more evenly and it doesn't curl up.

Great meal as always SG!!
If you like Kasseri cheese, try this cheese
Itâ€™s Bulgarian cheese called Kashkaval. Itâ€™s processed the same way as Kasseri, but has less salt and slightly sharper flavor.
I also love grilled Halloumi